Customs and Artifacts

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cremation

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

cremation disposal of a corpse by fire. It is an ancient and widespread practice, second only to burial . It has been found among the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, among Northern Athapascan bands in Alaska, and among Canadian cultural groups. It was noted in Greece as early as 1000 BC and was the predominant mode of corpse disposal by the time of Homer. Until the advent of Christianity as the dominant religion in the Roman empire, cremation was widely accepted.

The practice of cremation in the West gained new favor with the rise of large cities and the realization of the health hazard associated with crowded cemeteries. In the late 19th cent., the practice was legalized in several European countries and the first crematory in the United States was built. The practice is widely accepted in many Western countries today, although it is not as common in the United States.

The use of cremation is often related to a belief in the properties of fire as a purifying agent. Its object may also be to light the way of the deceased to another world, or to prevent the return of the dead. More practical considerations include the fear of depredation by enemies and, in the modern world, the physical shortage of land in urban areas.

The earliest known method of cremation was the log pyre. In more elaborate practices, pitch and gums are added to the wood. Modern crematories expose the corpse not to flames, but to intense heat that reduces the body (except for some bones, which are crushed) to ashes. Disposal of the ashes varies in different parts of the world. Hindus, for whom cremation is the typical form of disposal, place them in urns or put them in a river, preferably the sacred Ganges. Other methods include burial, scattering, or preservation in a decorative urn. Concerns about the release into the air of mercury from dental fillings has led to the need for emission filtration systems at crematories; alternative methods for the disposal of a corpse, such as alkaline hydrolysis (in which the body tissues, except for bone, are dissolved), also have been developed in response.

See also suttee .

Bibliography: For bibliography see funeral customs.

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"cremation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"cremation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-crematio.html

"cremation." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-crematio.html

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Cremation

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Cremation. Method of disposing of dead bodies by burning. It is the natural method of disposal in those religions (e.g. Hinduism: see ANTYEṢṬI) which regard the body as a dispensable vehicle for an immortal soul (soma sēma, ‘the body a tomb’), or, as in the case of Buddhism, where the process of reappearance alone continues. But in religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, where there is belief in resurrection of the body, burial has been preferred as, intuitively, suggesting an easier reconstitution of the parts.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Cremation.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Cremation.html

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cremation

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Copyright

cremation. Disposal of the dead by reducing the body to ashes. Belief in the resurrection of the body made cremation repugnant to the early Christians, and burial was generally adopted. Cremation was revived in the 19th cent., largely in free-thinking circles. Though normally still forbidden in the Orthodox Church, it has been permitted in the RC Church since 1963; in the C of E its legitimacy was recognized in the 1969 Canons.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-cremation.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "cremation." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-cremation.html

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cremation

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

cremation Ritual disposal of a corpse by burning. It was a common custom in parts of the ancient civilized world, and is still the only funeral practice among Hindus and Buddhists. Early Christians rejected cremation because of their belief in the physical resurrection of the body. It was not until the 19th century that it was revived in the Western world. Its legitimacy is now recognized by all Christian Churches.

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"cremation." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"cremation." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-cremation.html

"cremation." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-cremation.html

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cremation

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

cremation. The standard method for the disposal of the dead in India where (unlike Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) there is no belief in the resurrection of the body. Since ancient times corpses have been disposed of by burning on pyres in public cremation grounds. The Buddha himself was cremated and his remains were divided up into eight parts which were distributed among the local kingdoms and clans.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "cremation." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "cremation." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-cremation.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "cremation." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-cremation.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Resort cremations could be delayed by up to 72 hours.(News) Newspaper article from: Daily Post (Liverpool, England); 1/31/2006
	Like a Phoenix, cremation has taken on new life.(Daily Break) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 3/5/2005
	Once fashionable with Pagans and Vikings, cremation was outlawed until a... Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 2/13/2002